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B.1.427/B.1.429 variant of SARS-CoV-2 evades neutralization via disulfide bond rearrangement

A new paper discusses an intriguing new mechanism of immune evasion traceable to specific mutations in the B.1.427/B.1.429 variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

7 Jul 2021

Mother-to-baby SARS-CoV-2 transmission in pregnancy possible but rare, says study

A new meta-analysis, released on the medRxiv* preprint server, suggests that, though possible, the virus is rarely transmitted to the newborn in real life. A scientific brief from the World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2021 describes three mechanisms by which the virus might be transmitted from the mother to the fetus or newborn.

7 Jul 2021

New study reports low SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in vaccinated healthcare workers

Researchers examined cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in fully and partially vaccinated healthcare workers, finding that vaccination provided strong immunity to the virus even though VOCs are on the rise in the non-vaccinated community at large.

7 Jul 2021

Rare genetic variants have a big impact on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have identified rare genetic variants - carried by one in 3,000 people - that have a larger impact on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes than any previously identified genetic effect.

7 Jul 2021

Vaccinate big cats? New report shows SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infecting endangered lions

There is evidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infecting animals such as ferrets, fruit bats, and cats. New research led by Vijendra Pal Singh from the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Disease in India suggests it might be time to vaccinate the big cats as well. Their report details SARS-CoV-2 infection in nine Asiatic lions caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2).

7 Jul 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant spreading rapidly in South America, report reveals

A new research paper by researchers in Peru describes a new variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) known as the Lambda variant (C.37). The Lambda variant was first reported in Lima, Peru, in December 2020, and from April 2021, nearly all the coronavirus infections in the country are caused by it.

7 Jul 2021

Synthetic defective SARS-CoV-2 could be used as a self-promoting antiviral therapy

What if the COVID-19 virus could be used against itself? Researchers at Penn State have designed a proof-of-concept therapeutic that may be able to do just that. The team designed a synthetic defective SARS-CoV-2 virus that is innocuous but interferes with the real virus's growth, potentially causing the extinction of both the disease-causing virus and the synthetic virus.

7 Jul 2021

COVID-19 vaccination may be stemming evolution of “fitter” SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the United States and India have presented the first known evidence that the rollout of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is restricting the evolutionary and immune escape pathways accessible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

6 Jul 2021

NYUAD researchers unlock an epigenetic code that allows liver regeneration

NYU Abu Dhabi researchers uncovered a code that sets the genome of the liver to account for the remarkable ability for this organ to regenerate.

6 Jul 2021

Comprehensive genetic study provides new insights on cleft lip and palate

Cleft lip and palate is one of the most common congenital malformations. Its causes are mainly genetic. However, it is still largely unknown exactly which genes are affected.

6 Jul 2021

Eight new research projects to explore COVID-19 variants of concern in Canada

Eight new research projects are getting underway in Canada to investigate COVID-19 variants of concern (VOCs) and variants of interest (VOIs).

6 Jul 2021

Developing a face mask that can detect COVID-19

A face mask has been developed that can detect COVID-19. News-Medical spoke to the researchers behind this idea to find out more about how it works.

6 Jul 2021

CRISPRa identifies potassium channels as neuronal entry factors and druggable targets for SARS-CoV-2

New research led by Le Cong of Stanford University School of Medicine in California indicates that the KCNA6 potassium channel may help with viral entry and promote infection. In addition, KCNA6 is highly expressed in OLIG2+ neuronal cells, which has been shown to be suspectable to SARS-CoV-2 in the olfactory neuroepithelium. This area appears to contribute to loss of smell commonly observed during infection.

6 Jul 2021

Study explores how human ACE2 variants can modify SARS-CoV-2 binding

A recent tour-de-force study by researchers from the United Kingdom reveals variants of the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) that can improve or decrease binding of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – including two variants with distinct population distributions showing an enhanced affinity for viral spike glycoprotein.

5 Jul 2021

Antibiotic clofoctol shows potential against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent study, a group of French researchers aimed to reduce the regulatory preclinical development steps that potential candidates are normally subjected to.

5 Jul 2021

Phylogenetic network analysis reveals recombinant origin of the SARS-CoV-2 alpha (B.1.1.7) variant

Researchers from the U.S. recently used the phylogenetic network approach to analyze the origin of the VOC202012/01 (alpha) or the PANGO Lineage B.1.1.7 variant, which was first reported in U.K. in 2020 and soon spread to other countries. This study is published on the bioRxiv preprint server while the paper undergoes peer review.

5 Jul 2021

Researchers develop random priming amplification method for whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1

Researchers from the UK recently compared the performance of 4 different random priming amplification methods to recover SARS-CoV-2 RNA. In method 1 (H-P), the reverse transcriptase (RT) step included random hexamers, whereas, in methods 2-4, RT incorporated an octamer primer with a known tag. This study is published on the bioRxiv preprint server.

5 Jul 2021

A new study reveals unintended CRISPR/Cas9 editing events

A recent study by researchers from Sweden and the United Kingdom shows that CRISPR/Cas9-based genomic engineering can prompt unwanted on-target effects, and highlights the complexity of human DNA repair mechanisms in the presence of the powerful prokaryotic Cas9 nuclease. The paper is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

4 Jul 2021

Structure-guided T cell vaccine design could offer broad protection SARS-CoV-2 variants

Gaurav Gaiha, MD, DPhil, a member of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, studies HIV, one of the fastest-mutating viruses known to humankind.

2 Jul 2021

What role did the SARS-CoV-2 delta variant play in India’s devastating second wave?

A detailed report, available on the preprint server medRxiv*, describes the various facets of the second wave that set it apart from the first. The report also contains the findings of an extended SIR model that explored the potential effects of intervention at various time points in the second wave.

2 Jul 2021

Genome News and Research

B.1.427/B.1.429 variant of SARS-CoV-2 evades neutralization via disulfide bond rearrangement

Mother-to-baby SARS-CoV-2 transmission in pregnancy possible but rare, says study

New study reports low SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in vaccinated healthcare workers

Rare genetic variants have a big impact on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes

Vaccinate big cats? New report shows SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infecting endangered lions

SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant spreading rapidly in South America, report reveals

Synthetic defective SARS-CoV-2 could be used as a self-promoting antiviral therapy

COVID-19 vaccination may be stemming evolution of “fitter” SARS-CoV-2 variants

NYUAD researchers unlock an epigenetic code that allows liver regeneration

Comprehensive genetic study provides new insights on cleft lip and palate

Eight new research projects to explore COVID-19 variants of concern in Canada

Developing a face mask that can detect COVID-19

CRISPRa identifies potassium channels as neuronal entry factors and druggable targets for SARS-CoV-2

Study explores how human ACE2 variants can modify SARS-CoV-2 binding

Antibiotic clofoctol shows potential against SARS-CoV-2

Phylogenetic network analysis reveals recombinant origin of the SARS-CoV-2 alpha (B.1.1.7) variant

Researchers develop random priming amplification method for whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1

A new study reveals unintended CRISPR/Cas9 editing events

Structure-guided T cell vaccine design could offer broad protection SARS-CoV-2 variants

What role did the SARS-CoV-2 delta variant play in India’s devastating second wave?

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